A Little of What You Fancy: H.E. Bates

`Teetotal!` Ma said. `It`s a libel. He`ll never live it down. He`ll never be able to hold his head up again. Whatever will people think? What`s he going to say when anybody asks him to have one?`

`No,` said Dr Conner.

`You`ll have to strap him down,` Ma said. `You`ll have to put the handcuffs on.`

And so after a mild heart-attack - caused by rather too much of what you fancy - Pop Larkin finds himself off the booze, off the good food and off the good life generally, much to his own and everyone`s else`s horror and upset.

And while Ma tries to find ways around `doctor`s orders`, young Primrose is finding her own way round a rather flustered - not to say flushed - Mr Candy ...